A method for storing configuration information for a network node in a network management system, the method comprising: installing a node type package for the node in the system, the node type package corresponding to a node type of the node, the node type package being a pluggable software module containing the configuration information; receiving a signal from a user to instantiate the node type for the node; presenting one or more items of the configuration information to a user in a configuration form displayed on a display screen of the system; and, receiving one or more signals from a user for adjusting one or more of the items.

First claim

1. A method for storing, in a network management system (NMS), configuration information for network nodes in a network, the method comprising:
installing a node type package in the NMS, the node type package corresponding to a node type that is not currently supported by the NMS, the node type package being a pluggable software module containing the configuration information, wherein the pluggable software module allows the NMS to support the corresponding node type, providing common functionality to different supported node types;
receiving a signal from a user in the NMS after installation of the node type package to create a new node as an instance of the node type;
presenting one or more items of the configuration information to a user in a configuration form displayed on a display screen of the NMS, the presented configuration information relating to the new node, wherein at least one of the items is a communication script for launching a function for the node type; and
receiving one or more signals from a user for adjusting one or more of the items to configure the new node.